BY
Gary Noakes

Qantas aims for non-stop Sydney flights

Qantas is working with Airbus and Boeing to produce an aircraft that will fly London to Sydney non-stop.

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"It will be fantastic for the industry as a whole because you will be able to fly from anywhere to anywhere."

The journey would take around 20 hours 20 minutes, according to Qantas International chief executive Gareth Evans, who said this would cut “three to four hours” off the existing one-stop flight.

“We want the stop to be completely eradicated,” he said.

“I think both manufacturers will be able to manage that. It will be fantastic for the industry as a whole because you will be able to fly from anywhere to anywhere.”

Qantas commences non-stop flights to Perth from Heathrow on March 25 next year, which will take around 17 hours. The flight will then continue to Melbourne. Qantas will use new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to fly the route, but the aircraft’s design would need to be modified in order to reach Sydney.

The airline’s current longest flight, Sydney to Dallas, flown on an Airbus A380, takes around 15 hours 30 minutes.